Philadelphia Freedom: Shane Victorino traded to Dodgers, Hunter Pence to Giants
The final two hours of the Trade Deadline are open, could belong to anyone. But without question Phillies GM Ruben Amaro was the mover and shaker of the morning round. Everything that's not tied down in Philadelphia must go, and it must go now. (Does anyone have the contract details for Frank Reynolds? That organization needs to get cheaper and younger, too.)
Amaro recharged his phone overnight and quickly put it into action Tuesday. The Phillies shipped Hunter Pence to San Francisco and parceled Shane Victorino to Los Angeles. If you've got outfield (or even short field) experience, please meet up with Charlie Manuel at the sandlot, show him what you've got.
Victorino's roto value probably gets a slight boost with the Dodgers, assuming he bats first or second. Being ahead of Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier and Hanley Ramirez is a nifty thing for your run production, and the appeal of a pennant race might be a spike for Victorino.
He also meets up with his old base-running coach, Davey Lopes; it was Lopes who fought for Victorino back in the Philly days and taught him how to work the basepaths. Victorino still has those skills in his back pocket (he's 24-for-28 this year), but every little bit helps.
I'm calling Pence's move a lateral one for fantasy purposes; he's going to a worse park to hit (as Victorino is), but I see more depth in San Francisco than with the Philly leftovers. Pence has been in a .217 funk this month, with just one homer; perhaps the trade talk has been affecting him. He went on a ballistic .324/.394/.560 run when he joined the Phillies last year at this time, for whatever that means to you.
Forgotten Domonic Brown figures to get a chance in Philly now that Victorino and Pence have moved on, so open the post-hype file and scribble his name. He was Baseball America's No. 4 prospect entering 2011, but a number of things have held him back: injuries; poorly-timed slumps; Philly's impatience (frustrating) and win-now attitude (fully understandable). He's still just 24.
Brown has been solid but unspectacular at Triple-A this year, slashing .286/.335/.432 over 60 games, with five homers. He's 4-for-10 on the bases. Obviously he's worth an immediate NL-only play, and he might push his way into deeper mixers as well. It will be interesting to see how Manuel fills out his lineup card going forward.
The two trades didn't net the Phillies much immediate help other than salary relief. Reliever Josh Lindblom and minor-league right-hander Ethan Martin came from the Dodgers, and the Giants package includes veteran outfielder Nate Schierholtz and Double-A catcher Tommy Joseph.
Lindblom has terrific stats in Chavez Ravine but they've fallen apart on the road; good luck in Citizens Bank Park, big guy. Schierholtz is one of those tweener outfielders, very good as a fourth option but often exposed as a regular starter. The current Phillies might not have much choice but to use him.
Keep the charger handy, there looks like more deals in the works. Will a Ryan Dempster swap ever get finalized? What's Arizona up to? Will the Rangers make a late splash? Does anyone want Carlos Lee? Who is going to make a late play for bullpen help? Stay tuned.
